For the 13 seniors on the Chattanooga Football team, the stakes could not have been any higher to close out their last regular season home game.
 
With the pressure of winning at home on Senior and Military Appreciation day, a share of the Southern Conference title and an automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs on the line, a win would put the exclamation point for the careers of the 2015 seniors.
 
The No. 8 Mocs were able to defeat No. 20 Citadel Bulldogs 31-23. The Citadel entered the game having won five straight and were in first-place in the conference.
 
This season's senior class experienced a huge growth in the program upon their arrival. They've provided three straight SoCon titles, two straight playoff berths (2014 and 2015), the school's only playoff win (2014), a playoff quarterfinal appearance (2014) and the highest national ranking (No.3) in school history.
 
The 2015 senior class is now second-all time in school history for wins (32), with only the 1980 class having one more at 33.
 
For head coach Russ Huesman's son and quarterback, Jacob, who is the Mocs' first ever two-time SoCon Offensive Player of the Year, he has had a first-hand experience on seeing how much the program has grown throughout his career.
 
"I remember when we first got here, I think the culture was kind of hoping that we could win a certain game," Jacob Huesman said. "We won I think six games the first season, and people were pretty excited about that. Now, I think the expectation has been what we produced today, and that's big for the culture to change like that.
 
"It's very exciting, because I saw what it was before it became like this. To be able to be a part of it has been a blessing."
 
Prior to the game, Coach Huesman was able to honor his son, along with the 13 other seniors who played in their final regular season home game.
 
"It was honestly probably a lot harder on him (Coach Huesman) than it was on me," said the younger Huesman, who is just one of four QBs at the FCS level with at least 40 rushing and passing touchdowns. "I know he's talked about that a lot. Early on, I think it was tough before I really proved myself and showed what I could do. He's been great, and I wouldn't want to play for anyone else in the country."
 
Along with Huesman, offensive lineman and senior Synjen Herren has been a vital part of the Mocs' success, and has also seen the program's gradual shift to a championship culture throughout his career.
 
"It's definitely nice to win another championship, especially because it is cool to look back on everything," Herren said. "When we committed back to our junior and senior years of high school, it's been nice to see how far the program has come in Coach Huesman's era. To start winning and keep winning has been nice.
 
"We knew in our time that if we wanted a championship, we were going to have to work for it, and it was on us."
 
On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker A.J. Hampton has also been an important part for the team's three straight conference championships since the first time he saw action as a redshirt freshman in 2012.
 
"We knew what we had on the line and we have always put in a ton of preparation," Hampton said. "It feels good to come out a champion once again, but we know that we are not done."
 
Having clinched three straight conference championships, the seniors look to continue leaving their mark in the FCS playoffs, with a national championship as the goal in their sights.
 
UTC's final regular season game will be Saturday, Nov. 21, against Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla. Kickoff is at 3 p.m.